


Falling In Love With Winter

by TilTheEndOfTheLinePal



Series: Falling In Love With Winter [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: 1940s music, Affection, Breakfast, Christmas Lights, Dancing, Fainting, Falling In Love, Feels, First Kiss, Fluff, Holding Hands, Hydra (Marvel), Injury, Kissing, Love, M/M, Memory Loss, Music, No Sex, No Smut, Non-Graphic Violence, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Recovery, Relationship(s), SHIELD, Sleep, Slow Dancing, Smoking, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-02 11:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2809892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TilTheEndOfTheLinePal/pseuds/TilTheEndOfTheLinePal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>((Post Captain America: The Winter Soldier)) Steve Rogers had never felt *that* way about Bucky Barnes, but when The Winter Soldier sneaks into his apartment in the middle of the night, Steve finds himself falling for Bucky, strangely. Was Bucky always that handsome? ((First Kiss, Falling in Love, No Smut, No Sex.))</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Was Bucky Always That Handsome?

Falling In Love With Winter

By TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

 

"I'm fine, Sam. I'm fine, I promise."

"Sam. Really. Sam, I got this." 

Captain America had a hell of a time convincing Sam Wilson - Falcon himself - to let him take a taxi from the hospital back home to his apartment. Finally, however, finally Steve Rogers opened the door to his apartment. After closing the door behind him and flipping that familiar light switch, Cap threw his head back and laughed a full belly laugh. 

It was as if an American flag factory spontaneously blew up in his apartment. Cap's well-wishing fellow-Avenger friends had festooned his entire apartment with flowers, American flags, streamers, and balloons. There was more red-white-and-blue than the eye could handle. In addition to the patriotic decorations, strings of white Christmas lights hung along the walls, which was odd, given that it was springtime in Washington, D.C. 

Smiling genuinely, Cap carefully rested his leather satchel on the floor and savored looking over all of the gifts he had received. He had just barely survived his epic battle with The Winter Soldier on the helicarrier. Obviously, there were many people and fellow heroes who were overwhelmingly grateful to Captain America for saving so many lives from the evil hand of HYDRA. 

As the smile began to fade from his handsome face, Steve slowly began to think about Bucky Barnes, about The Winter Soldier again. Steve had had plenty of time to think in the hospital, but continued to struggle with the notion that his best friend was now... a villain? Some kind of trained assassin, a wildly out of control, mindless (?) and ruthless, cold weapon? Steve made a conscious effort to try to remember all of the good memories he had of Bucky, but - unfortunately and inevitably - The Winter Soldier's terrible actions had begun to tarnish Bucky's old image. 

"You're somewhere out there, Buck," Cap said, his voice surprisingly subdued and gentle, as he continued to gaze at his friends' tokens of affection and gratitude. After a long moment, he concluded his thoughts with, "I wish you were here, pal..." Even though HYDRA's Asset had brutally tried to kill him, Captain America did his best to try to still think fondly of Sergeant James Barnes. 

Though Steve was immensely grateful to have had so many loving visitors in the hospital, he found himself rather relieved to finally be alone for once. Steve had realized that *he* was the one comforting people in the hospital; so many people were hurt and scared that The Asset and HYDRA could do such horrific things to Captain America, to so many innocent people.... How could they? Steve assured them repeatedly, however, that there would be justice - in the end. There would be justice, he reasoned optimistically and hopefully. 

Checking the time, Cap shook his head, realizing that it was only 7 in the evening, but he was already exhausted. Being shot god-knew-how-many times continued to take its toll on the super soldier. He considered taking a shower - the showers in the hospital were only so-so - but ultimately decided to just curl up on his living room sofa. 'I just need a quick nap,' Cap told himself. 'And then I'll make a few phone calls.'

Steve turned off the living room lamp, but kept the Christmas light strands lit. He rather enjoyed the soft glow of those golden stringed lights. 

At around 7:30 PM Cap had fallen asleep on his sofa, still wearing his shoes. He hadn't bothered with a blanket or pillow. He had been dead tired. 

At around midnight, Steve had a pillow under his head, a warm blanket covering his body, and his shoes had been removed and placed neatly by the door. 

Taking in a deep breath around one in the morning, Steve finally opened his eyes. The notion that someone had taken care of him and attended to his needs while he was sleeping was minimal compared to the fact that The Asset was sitting on the floor next to Steve's sofa, his back to Steve. 

Steve's entire body tensed and it took every ounce of strength in his body to not cry out in surprise. As Cap furiously wondered what the hell was going on and if The Winter Soldier realized he was awake, he managed to assess The Asset rather carefully. There was Bucky, alright, knees close to his chest with his metal elbow resting on his left knee. Bucky's metal hand was deeply embedded in his long hair and his eyes were closed. 

Sitting up as gradually as he possibly could - no easy feat given that his abdomen was still rather sore from being shot - Steve had a million things to say to The Winter Soldier. Instead of saying something 'normal', all Steve could ask was, "You hungry?" 

The Winter Soldier opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Steve. He only met eyes with Cap for a second before slowly nodding his head 'yes', saying nothing in return. 

Matching The Asset's nod, Steve pushed aside his blanket - duly noting that The Winter Soldier had covered him with it - and stood from the couch. He glanced over his shoulder a few times at Bucky as he made his way to the kitchen. Noting that Bucky didn't move from his seat beside the couch, on the floor, Steve began to prepare scrambled eggs and bacon. In an atmosphere where suddenly everything was seemingly out of control, it was awfully soothing to Captain America to do something as mundane as cook. Cooking was something he could control at the moment. 

Cap remembered how Bucky loved his breakfast overcooked. As he prepared the bacon and eggs, Steve debated furiously in his own mind as to whether or not to start talking to Bucky. 'Say something,' Cap repeatedly told himself silently. 'Anything...', but nothing came out. 

Steve very nearly dropped the frying pan as he turned around. The Asset was suddenly standing in the kitchen. It made sense to Steve that a trained assassin would be absolutely silent when walking. Steve's hands trembled slightly as he deposited the food onto a plate on the kitchen table. 

"Have a seat, Buck..." Steve said, doing everything he could to sound casual as he returned the now-empty frying pan to the stovetop. 

The Winter Soldier complied. Still deathly silent, he stared down at his plate, his face utterly expressionless. 

After pouring himself a cup of strong coffee, Steve took a sip and, in turn, stared at the soldier. 

"So, uh... I made it the way you like it," Steve said, flummoxed at the notion that Bucky wasn't eating. "Eggs overcooked, bacon almost black...." A realization suddenly hit his mind. "Oh. You need a fork." Steve laughed out loud in relief and handed Bucky a fork. 

Diving into his food, Bucky had no qualms about eating his breakfast rather quickly. Army men always ate fast. 

Just barely grinning, Steve couldn't help but watch Bucky for a short while, wondering how long it had been since Bucky ate. The soldier acted as if he had been starving for days. Blinking a few times, Steve came to the realization that Bucky was using his metal hand to hold his fork. Thinking that a little odd, Steve also noticed that Bucky's normal arm simply hung at his side, seemingly immobile. 

"Hey, pal, do you need me to take a look at that?" Steve gently asked, his hand reaching for The Winter Soldier's right shoulder. 

Swallowing the final bite of his breakfast, Bucky visibly cowered, a look of abject fear in his suddenly wide eyes. Steve cautiously retracted his hand. 

"At ease, soldier," Cap ordered, though softly. "I'm just trying to help." 

A new idea forming in his mind, Steve opened a kitchen drawer and produced a full pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes before fumbling around in a few other drawers, looking for a book of matches. The Asset watched Cap with steady blue eyes, opening and closing his metal hand a few times apprehensively. The joints in his hand whirred and whined softly. 

Doing his best to smile again, Steve declared, "They gave me a box of your stuff from the war, Buck. The Smithsonian has a lot of your things on display right now, but I managed to save you a pack of cigarettes." Steve gave a subdued laugh. "I don't know if they're still any good, and... well, you're not supposed to smoke in this apartment, but what the hell..." 

Steve lit Bucky's cigarette for him. Bucky took a long drag and exhaled the smoke through pursed lips before licking his bottom lip. 

As Bucky smoked his cigarette, Steve found himself just kind of babbling, just kind of talking in shallow circles. "I can't believe all of this modern stuff, Buck. It's just wild. Computers and Internet and all this new music. Oh, my god, you'd go nuts about all of the music, pal." Steve remembered how Bucky used to have such a passion for music; Bucky's musical interest had always been so vast. "That is..." Steve paused, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well... Maybe you already knew that..." Cap's voice trailed off as he was suddenly not sure of how much of the past 70 years Bucky had witnessed. Currently, Bucky still looked the same, however, as he did when he was 27 years old. 

Frustrated, Steve realized he had so many questions for The Winter Soldier, so much to figure out and all he could talk about, it seemed, was computers and music... Really?

After stubbing out his spent cigarette, The Winter Soldier took a sip of coffee from Steve's mug before rising to aimlessly wander about the apartment, looking over Captain America's many sympathy gifts. Steve eventually stood beside Bucky as The Winter Soldier opened a random card with his metal hand to read the inscription inside. This particular card had been signed by Natasha Romanov. ‘Get better soon, Cap!’ she had written. ‘We’ve got a lot of work to do.’ 

It suddenly felt so strange to be taller than Bucky. Steve briefly read the card as well, over Bucky's shoulder, before saying, "Are you in pain, Buck?" Though he had justifiably defended himself in battle, Cap still felt guilty for hurting his best friend. 

Steve was inherently used to Bucky not ever meeting his eyes and was shocked that The Winter Soldier looked slightly up, straight into Steve's eyes. Steve's gaze toggled slightly as he studied Bucky's blue eyes. His lips parting slightly, Steve couldn't help but notice how the white Christmas lights reflected in his best friend's eyes. God, it was as if Bucky was stealing his soul, right then and there. 

Still holding his stare, Bucky nodded very slightly to soundlessly indicate that, yes, he was absolutely in pain. His shoulder was still dislocated from when Captain America had tried to subdue him on the helicarrier. 

Blinking dumbly a few times, Steve whispered, "Come here, pal... I got ya..." The more softly Cap spoke, the more apparent his Brooklyn accent was. 

The Winter Soldier hesitated for about half a minute, but finally turned his normal shoulder to Cap. Steve strongly gripped Bucky's immobile normal arm with two hands. 

"This is gonna hurt, Buck..." Steve said honestly, meeting Bucky's eyes again. "Are you ready?" 

After the soldier nodded briefly, Steve pulled Bucky's arm straight out - harshly and fast - and successfully popped Bucky's shoulder back into place. Steve fully expected his best friend to cry out, but Bucky only uttered an almost inaudible painful sob, though his eyes rolled back as he began to fall forward. Without a second's hesitation, Cap instinctively and firmly grabbed his best friend, preventing him from falling and held him up. 

"Whoa, Buck... Hold on, pal... Hold on... You're okay..." Steve mumbled against Bucky's ear, holding Bucky's body tightly. 

Bucky uttered a weak, painful moan in return as he fought hard to stay conscious. He was unable to support himself and fully relied on Captain America to keep him from falling. 

Steve spoke tenderly to his best friend to try to keep him awake. "I got you, pal. I got you, okay? You're alright. I promise." Taking an immense leap of faith, Steve kissed Bucky's forehead and fully braced himself for a harsh reaction. At that moment, Steve wanted to kick himself, thinking that he shouldn't have kissed Bucky like that. It was weird. It wasn't right.... Right? 

His vision returning, Bucky most definitely felt Steve's sentiment. His starry and glassy eyes refocused, Bucky stared up into Steve's similarly blue eyes. 

Steve's heart began to race as time conversely seemed to slow down. The living room was only dimly lit by those soft white Christmas lights. In this characteristic light, Bucky looked so handsome and so helpless. Steve just couldn't believe how gorgeous his best friend looked with his messy shoulder-length hair, and the faint smudges of thick black paint over Bucky's eyes made him look daring and dangerous and his body temperature was outstandingly warm and... and… 

“I thought you were dead,” Steve whispered distantly, though Bucky still said nothing in return. 

His eyes fluttering closed, Steve leaned forward slightly and tentatively kissed the corner of Bucky's mouth. Steve's heart skipped a beat. He had never really felt this way about Bucky before; Steve had never been attracted to Bucky in that way. 

The resulting velvety moan from the back of Bucky's throat was the sexiest thing Steve had ever heard in his entire life. Taking a wild chance and hoping above all else that Bucky wouldn't reject him, Steve began a feather-light full kiss, his eyes still closed, his arms still tightly wrapped around The Asset's weakened body. 

Bucky not only returned the kiss, but he actively deepened and lengthened the kiss. He couldn't help but tremble slightly, much more nervous than he had been in a long time. Offing dozens of dignitaries and wielding high-end weapons were nothing compared to this. 

Though Bucky was blatantly nervous, Steve's shoulders fell as he conversely relaxed. He felt slightly dizzy from his body's sharp drop in adrenaline as he continued to tenderly and lazily make out with his handsome best friend. Sure, Captain America had fought Loki - the god of mischief himself - and had battled the Chitauri in New York City, but it took even more bravery to kiss Bucky Barnes. 

Steve's mind could only focus on just how soft Bucky's lips were, how strikingly warm - almost hot - Bucky's mouth was, and how amazing Bucky's body felt in his arms. God, Bucky even smelled good... 

Neither Steve nor Bucky really wanted the kissing to stop, but the two best friends eventually and gradually stopped their affections with a few more whisper-soft conclusion kisses. 

Finding his strength and footing again, Bucky carefully wrapped both arms around Steve's abdomen and rested his head upon Cap's shoulder. In return, Cap tenderly smoothed Bucky's hair and just simply held his beloved friend for a long while. 

Where it would all go, what it all meant, what the kiss would mean in the future... It just didn't really matter at the moment. Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes had each other, now, and that's all that really mattered, in the end. 

With a long sigh, Steve pulled back and, meeting eyes with Bucky again, he said lovingly, “You must be exhausted…” 

Bucky slowly nodded his agreement. 

“Come on,” Steve said, holding Bucky’s hand and leading him back to the bedroom. “I’ll sleep on the couch. We’ll figure all of this out in the morning, okay, pal?” 

Steve pulled a pair of grey sweatpants and a white undershirt out from a dresser drawer. He kind of wished that Bucky would talk to him, at least say something, but he concluded that Bucky might still be scared. He could respect his silence. 

“Here you go,” Steve said gently, handing Bucky the clothes. “I’ll be out in the living room. Good night, Buck…” 

Steve closed the bedroom door behind him and paused, his mind suddenly reeling. Did that just really happen? Did he really just kiss his best friend? 

Swallowing hard, Steve was on his way back to the kitchen when he suddenly noticed that The Winter Soldier had placed his weapons by the balcony’s sliding glass door. His mouth dropping open slightly, Steve stared at a Russian Draganov sniper rifle, two .45 handguns, a rather large knife, and several untraceable cartridges. 

Bucky cleared his throat to announce his presence. Steve jumped a little, in turn, and couldn’t help but notice how cute Bucky looked, wearing clothing that was too big for him. 

This time, Bucky couldn’t meet eyes with Steve. Speaking for the first time in at least a week, Bucky’s voice was rather hoarse. “Could you… Could you please…” Bucky closed his eyes momentarily, frustrated. It was hard to speak and even more difficult to ask. “Could you please sleep next to me?” 

“Oh…” Steve paused, wrapping his mind around the concept. “Uh… sure, pal. Sure. No problem.” 

Bucky lay on his left side on Steve’s bed given that it was too painful to sleep on his right shoulder. As Steve climbed into bed next to him, Bucky began to sheepishly hide his metal hand under his pillow, utterly embarrassed of his prosthetic arm. Steve quickly interlaced his fingers with Bucky’s metal hand, quietly assuring his best friend. 

Settling in and facing Bucky, Steve said seriously, “Are you going to be here, in the morning, when I wake up?” 

“Mmhmm,” Bucky responded. 

Smiling again, Steve teased, “You suuure?” 

Bucky’s genuine smile melted Steve’s heart. There was the Bucky he had remembered. That sarcastic, generous, and caring individual he had known since the third grade. 

It didn’t take long for Bucky to fall deeply asleep. Steve found himself worrying up a storm for a short while, wondering what it would mean for The Winter Soldier to seek Captain America’s help, what would happen next… If anything else would go wrong… If he would lose Bucky again… 

A soft snore from Bucky put Steve at ease, finally, and, he, too, drifted off to sleep. The worries of the world could wait for another night.


	2. You're Bucky Barnes, Alright?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky seems to be making incredible progress with his memory, but an outside trigger flips a switch in Bucky's mind, briefly forcing him back into The Winter Soldier. ((No smut, no sex.))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are so many "recovery" stories for Bucky Barnes out there. I hope you enjoy this one! I, too, love passionate 'M'- and 'E'-rated Stucky fics, but I've purposefully kept this at a 'G' rating. 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy! Comments and kudos are very, very much appreciated!
> 
> \--Bucky

Falling in Love With Winter

Chapter 2: "You're Bucky Barnes, Alright?" 

By TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

Captain America woke up with a startled jolt and, realizing he was alone in his bed, he placed one hand upon the mattress, where Bucky had been sleeping the night before. Sighing in relief, Steve could feel the slight warmth of the blankets. Okay. Bucky was more than likely still in the apartment. Hopefully. 

Steve’s fears came to a complete rest upon stepping into the living room. There was Bucky, meticulously pouring over Steve’s vinyl records. ‘Coming in on a wing and a prayer’ by The Song Spinners was playing on the turntable. Strangely, Bucky was softly singing along. Once the soldier had heard a song once or twice, he pretty much remembered every word. 

Letting Bucky have his moment in the sun, Steve smiled broadly and made his way over to the kitchen, though, really, he couldn’t help but wonder at how Bucky was able to remember the words to the song when he hadn’t been able to recall who Steve Rogers was. Even though it was confusing, the notion that Bucky could sing along made Steve hopeful and rather happy.  
There was hope after all for Bucky’s memory, Steve thought optimistically. 

Steve uttered a quiet laugh upon noticing how Bucky had poured him a bowl of cereal that morning. Clearly, Bucky had made an attempt to prepare breakfast for Steve. Bucky had carefully placed a bowl of cereal along with a spoon and a coffee mug, along with the newspaper, in an incredibly neat order, characteristic of someone who had served in the Army. 

“You don’t have any milk.” 

Steve jumped and rapidly concluded that he *had* to get used to Bucky’s deathly silent footsteps. 

“Oh, yeah, sorry, pal,” Steve said, meeting Bucky’s eyes. “I’ve been in the hospital.” 

A rather remorseful look formed on Bucky’s handsome face and Steve immediately blushed, instantly feeling bad about mentioning that he had been in the hospital. Of course it was The Winter Soldier’s ‘fault’ that Steve had spent a week in the hospital, but Steve definitely didn’t want Bucky to feel bad about it, so he quickly added, “But, thank you, Buck. This is great.” Steve smiled at his friend and crunched on a few cornflakes to acknowledge the breakfast. 

Bucky shyly held his normal arm with his metal hand. “I, uh, tried to make you coffee, but I couldn’t figure out how to use the damn machine…” 

Laughing heartily, Steve nodded. “Oh, I know, I know. These modern machines. I remember all we used to have was a pot of boiling water. I mean, really.” Steve paused, definitely in awe that Bucky was able to talk and express himself, though he didn’t want to embarrass the soldier by bringing up that phenomenon. 

Noting that Bucky had taken a shower and that his long hair was still wet, Steve picked up a bath towel and approached his best friend. “May I…” Steve’s voice trailed off. 

Falling silent again, Bucky nodded to soundlessly indicate that it was alright with him if Steve dried his hair. He closed his eyes as Cap vigorously tousled his hair with the towel. Bucky had always been obsessed with touch. 

It really was a profoundly loving gesture, Steve drying Bucky’s hair with the towel. 

“I’ve got to get you an iPod,” Steve lamented thoughtfully as the current record came to an end. “You could have all kinds of songs at your fingertips.” 

Giving a tiny sigh of contentment, Bucky turned away and changed records. ‘Moonlight Serenade’ by Glenn Miller now played over the speaker system. 

“Huh,” Steve sighed with a sweet grin on his face, listening to the music. “What year did this come out?” 

The Winter Soldier surprised the hell out of Captain America as he took Steve’s hand into his metal hand, his normal hand suddenly resting on Steve’s hip. Bucky and Steve began to dance in small slow circles, right there in the living room. 

Answering Steve’s question, Bucky stated effortlessly, “’Moonlight Serenade.’ Glenn Miller. May 1939. Number three on the Billboard charts for fifteen weeks. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.” 

Steve’s free hand rested on Bucky’s ribcage as the two soldiers continued to slowly dance. Steve took in a gradual breath, overwhelmingly thinking this must have been the most romantic moment of his life. ‘Oh my god,’ Steve silently thought, ‘We’re dancing in our pajamas in the living room.’ 

Blinking dumbly, Steve said distantly, “1939…” He paused to think for a moment. “We were twenty-two years old. You were a manager at Mr. Macintosh’s grocery store on Main, and I worked part-time as a short order cook at Tom’s in Prospect Heights.” 

“It was the Depression. We were lucky to even have jobs… You were always so sick,” Bucky whispered in remembrance, his gaze faraway. 

Steve gently brought their dance to a stop. Really, Glenn Miller’s ‘Moonlight Serenade’ was only about three and a half minutes long, but it seemed as though the dance had been a sweet, comfortable eternity. 

“Wait…” Steve whispered as well. “You remember that?” 

Gazing up into Steve’s eyes, Bucky muttered under his breath, “Yeah…” 

“Oh, my god,” Steve sighed softly, his eyes halfway closed. “Come here…” Steve leaned down to kiss Bucky. 

The moment was perfect. The kiss would have been absolutely gorgeous had it not been for a severely loud backfire of a car exhaust outside the apartment. 

Steve was startled, but was alright overall. Bucky, however, lost it. Completely lost his mind. The Winter Soldier’s eyes flew open again and he took two major steps back, his fists balling up tightly at his sides. His teeth clenched and he stared at Steve as his heart raced uncomfortably. Breathing hard, Winter gave a low feral growl. 

“Oh, no…” Steve uttered sadly, instantly recognizing that a switch had been flipped in The Winter Soldier’s mind. “Buck…” Steve said calmly. “Bucky, calm down. You’re okay…” 

“Shut up!” Winter snarled in return, assessing his surroundings, quickly figuring out his resources. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his weapons by the sliding glass door and suddenly made a mad dash for them. 

Springing into action, Captain America rushed after The Winter Soldier and dove at him as if he was a linebacker, successfully tackling Sergeant Winter to the hardwood floor of the living room. 

“Get off of me!” Winter yelled after emitting a giant ‘oof’ from being tackled. He made a blind grab at his weapons and was able to grasp one .45 handgun with his normal hand. 

Captain America and The Winter Soldier furiously wrestled with one another on the floor. Cap desperately worked to slam Winter’s hand down again and again in an attempt to force him to drop the gun. In turn, Winter relentlessly threw punches with his metal fist at Cap’s head, all the while throwing out a horrible string of curse words, worthy of an Army sergeant. 

Finally, Winter released the gun (albeit involuntarily) and Cap – still on top of Winter – straddled the soldier’s hips and harshly covered his mouth and nose with both hands, effectively and severely cutting off Winter’s air supply. In return, Winter bucked his hips and did absolutely everything he could to throw off Captain America, but was unable to. Even though Winter viciously threw every punch he could – with both arms – Cap still had the advantage. 

After a painfully long moment, Winter’s eyes finally rolled back as he passed out cold, unable to breathe; his body went completely limp after briefly convulsing. 

“Oh, god…” Captain America uttered a deep sigh in relief, finally taking his hands off of Winter's face. His relief was short-lived, however, as he heard a sharp, commanding knock at the door. 

“Agent 13! Open up!” Sharon Carter called from the other side of the door. 

His heart stuttering painfully in his chest, Steve stood and rushed at full speed to the door and managed to open it right before Agent 13 was about to kick the door in. Cap purposefully didn’t open the door all the way and made sure to block the view of the inside of the apartment with his body. 

Her eyes wild, Sharon stared up at Cap, a handgun ready in her hands, her fingertip barely on the trigger. “What in the world is going on??!” she exclaimed. 

Out of breath, Steve did his absolute best to sound casual. “Calisthenics.” 

“What?!” Agent 13 breathed, trying to look around Steve and into the apartment, but he deftly moved his body to block the view. 

“Yeah…” Cap lied through his teeth. “Just working out. You know, like aerobics.” 

“I… I heard a really loud thump… I…” Bewildered, Agent 13 stared up into Cap’s eyes in disbelief. “Are you sure…” 

“Yep,” Steve interrupted the agent, who still lived next door. “Yes. Uh, everything’s okay!” Steve forced himself to smile. 

Shaking her head, Agent 13 opened her mouth to protest, but Steve cut her off and began to close the door in her face. 

“Thank you, Agent Carter! Have a great day!” Steve did, in fact, slam the door in the poor agent’s face. 

His mind reeling, definitely thinking that was a very close call, Steve rushed back over to Bucky, really rather relieved that he was still unconscious. He kind of expected The Winter Soldier to have taken off, but was glad he caught Bucky before that could happen. 

“Hey…” Steve said carefully, running one hand roughly along Bucky’s chest to revive him. “Come on back, Buck. You can do it.” 

Getting no response, Steve lightly placed the back of his hand against Bucky’s mouth and nose. Bucky was barely breathing and just as Steve thought he would have to take a breath for his best friend, Bucky finally gasped fully and opened his eyes. 

“Okay, pal, okay…” Steve began to nervously babble. His hand trembled as he smoothed back Bucky’s long hair. “You’re Bucky Barnes, alright? I’m Steve. I’m your best friend. You’re in my apartment in Washington, D.C.”

“Yeah,” Bucky mumbled weakly, just barely able to stay awake. “Yeah, okay… I got it.” 

A full hour later, Steve and Bucky were snuggling on the sofa. They both needed time to calm down after an incident like *that*. Though it was springtime in Washington, D.C., it was still early in the spring and it was rather cold outside. Steve had started a fire in the fireplace. He watched the fire as he tenderly held Bucky, who was lying on his stomach, half on top of Steve, his normal arm lazily draped over Steve’s belly. Exhausted, Bucky drifted in and out of sleep. 

Steve’s body was relaxed, but his mind wandered into a territory of severe worry. Steve couldn’t help but think about how he couldn’t hide The Winter Soldier forever. Obviously. Sure, he was extremely grateful that Bucky seemed to be remembering an awful lot about his past, but it was hard not to think about how suddenly Bucky’s mind flipped back to what HYDRA had created. The Winter Soldier was unpredictable, ruthless… He had a mission, still. In a deep dark corner of Bucky’s mind, there was still a mission to complete. 

It was as if Bucky could read his best friend’s mind. “Hey…” Bucky began softly, tilting his head back to look up at Steve. “It’s just a day at a time, pal… We’ll get through this. I know it. We both died… We were separated for 70 years, but we’re here… now. We’re together.” 

Steve stared into Bucky’s dark blue eyes and ran his hand under his best friend’s white undershirt to caress his ribs before trailing his hand over Bucky’s spine. God, Bucky’s skin was abnormally hot. 

Uncharacteristically changing the subject, Steve asked, “Have you always been this warm? This… *incredibly* warm?” 

Bucky licked his own bottom lip, absolutely lost in Steve’s touch. “It’s a side effect of Dr. Arnim Zola’s serum,” he explained. “I’m a super soldier, too. I’m sure someone told you what the KGB and HYDRA did to me.” 

Nodding dumbly, Steve was caught up in Bucky’s starry eyes. “Yeah…” he whispered, his voice faraway. “I know a little.” 

It was so confusing to Steve Rogers, being so unbelievably attracted to Bucky Barnes on so many levels. Sure, Bucky was absolutely physically gorgeous, but there was so much about Bucky that Steve loved. Steve had never, ever been attracted to a man before, but there Bucky was… Warm and handsome and loving… 

Steve had started their first kiss ever the previous night, but Bucky began their second kiss. Steve moaned in the back of his throat and fully returned Bucky’s kiss, his heart melting. All of those worries that had been bouncing around in his mind ebbed away. 

It was a long, warm, and comfortable kiss. Steve and Bucky both relaxed as they kissed for a pleasantly lengthy amount of time; maybe it was kind of odd, but it felt so completely right, so at home. 

Finally releasing his affections with one more delicate kiss, Bucky lightly licked his lips and rested his head down again upon Steve’s shoulder. One of Steve’s hands wandered over Bucky’s body again. Cap played with Bucky’s hair for a long while before trailing his fingers down to his best friend’s injured shoulder. Steve tentatively caressed Bucky’s shoulder. 

“It’s alright,” Bucky said honestly, reading Steve’s mind, in a way. “It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.” 

With a long sigh, Steve closed his eyes. Somewhere in the back of his mind he thought about just how hard he was falling for Bucky Barnes. It scared him a little. Cap wondered where it would all go and what it would mean to everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. and to HYDRA (or whatever was left of those two agencies), knowing that Captain America and The Winter Soldier were friends again. Nobody needed to know how Steve really felt about Bucky, but at least being friends… 

“S’Okay, Steve,” Bucky mumbled, getting lost in the twilight phase between consciousness and deep sleep. 

Steve uttered a tiny laugh through his nose and embraced Bucky a little more tightly.


	3. Could Bucky Be... Could He Be...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky spend a long, lazy day together. The day comes to a tragic end, however, and Captain America's world gets turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for a big ride! Oh, the suspense... ;)
> 
> \--Bucky

Could Bucky Be... Could He Be... 

Chapter 3 of "Falling In Love With Winter" 

by TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

It hadn't even been 24 hours since The Winter Soldier had snuck into Captain America's apartment in the middle of the night, but Steve already felt as though he and Bucky had made up for a good chunk of the 70 years they had been apart. It was currently nearing 10 PM that early spring night in Washington, D.C., and even though the two best friends had spent the entire time in Steve's apartment, they still had had a great time together. 

A few empty Chinese food takeout containers and half-eaten fortune cookies were strewn among the patriotic decorations and Steve's sympathy gifts. Steve's red-white-and-blue get-well balloons had just barely begun to deflate. Normally, both soldiers were extremely meticulous and neat. The Winter Soldier's bunker (when he had been awake) over the past 70 years was extraordinarily tidy and Steve had always kept a spotless apartment, both back in the forties and in present time. 

Just for today, however, the two soldiers didn't really care about the messy apartment. The day had definitely started out rocky, given that Bucky had had an unfortunate relapse in memory and consequently fought hard against Cap, but, after everyone had calmed down, the soldiers spent the day resting, eating, dancing, and playing cards. Even though Steve Rogers swore up and down that he wasn't a dancer, Bucky Barnes knew how to put him at ease. 

Over the course of the day's conversations, Steve learned that Bucky (or, more accurately, The Winter Soldier) had spent the past week eating very little and sleeping even less. Even though Steve had spent the week in a world of pain, he at least had been warm and fed in the hospital. The Winter Soldier, however, had been alone, cold, injured, and, really, rather afraid. 

Bucky had fallen asleep every few hours that day; his body was obviously trying to recover. After a long and, really, fun day, Bucky was lying on his back on a blanket in front of the fireplace, caught up in a light sleep. Steve lay next to his best friend. He listened to the pleasant crackles and pops from the wood burning in the fireplace. As Bucky slept, Steve found that he really couldn't keep his hands off of his fellow soldier. Resting on his side, Steve propped his own head up on his hand, elbow on the floor; his other hand lazily trailed along Bucky's defined abdominal muscles, under his white undershirt. 

Taking in a deep breath finally, Bucky opened his eyes and looked over at Steve, definitely noticing how his friend was staring at him. With a mischievous little grin, he muttered sleepily, "Take a picture. It'll last longer." 

Steve laughed good-naturedly at the sarcastic comment. "Welcome back, BuckKitty..."

God, did Bucky look outstandingly cute when he blushed. "What, I'm a cat now?" he laughed, feeling hot all of a sudden. And, that really was saying something - The Winter Soldier's body temperature was always astronomically hot (a side effect of Dr. Arnim Zola's serum), so it was rather odd for Bucky to actually feel warm. 

"If the shoe fits," Steve tried to sound serious, but couldn't help but laugh again. "Taking all of these catnaps all day..." 

"Hmm," Bucky mumbled. Living up to the cat notion, he snuggled close to Steve and kind of-sort of gave a small purr. 

Steve kissed Bucky's forehead and lovingly ran his fingers through Bucky's hair over and over again. After a lengthy pause, Steve's voice did become very serious. "Hey, Buck..." 

Pulling back slightly, Bucky gazed up into Steve's eyes to indicate he was listening.

Steve continued, "If something were to happen to me..."

Bucky cut him off. "Wait, hold on, pal. Nothing's going to happen to you..."

"Just hear me out," Steve said gently, placing his hand on Bucky's side, his thumb caressing the soldier's ribs. "If something were to happen to me, you'd need someone to take care of you. I know The Winter Soldier is HYDRA's weapon, but there are so many S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who would be willing to do whatever they could to help you hide and sort everything out." 

Eyebrows knitted in concern, Bucky asked, "But, S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't around anymore, right? Like, they're disbanded." 

Steve shifted his head side to side, indicating that he was on the fence about that. "Well, sort of. Director Nick Fury is still out there and has quite an interest in you, pal." When Bucky looked away in disgust, Steve quickly added, "Director Fury doesn't want to use The Winter Soldier as a weapon, I promise. He wants you to be an Avenger... like me." 

Bucky turned his head back to look at Steve again. His eyes toggled slightly as he thought before carefully responding with, "Yeah... I think I'd like that, actually." 

"You know where 700 Eleventh Street is?" Steve asked, still unconsciously caressing Bucky's ribs. 

Bucky nodded slightly; Steve's touch did not go unnoticed. 

"*If* something were to happen to me, Buck, you need to go there. Go to the eighth floor and tell the secretary that you're a lost tourist and you're looking for a brochure on the Washington monument." Bucky's confused expression prompted Steve to explain further, "It's like a secret password in a way. Anyway, that's where one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s new headquarters is. At least, that's where Director Fury operates from. Tell Fury that I sent you and, when he asks for my pass code, it's ... uh..." Now it was Steve's turn to blush.

Definitely noticing the blush, Bucky couldn't stifle a smirk. 

Steve hesitantly continued, "It's 'Bucky Bear 1935', and, uh... that'll hopefully get Nick to trust you enough and everything..." 

Bucky couldn't help but laugh softly through his nose. "That's cute, Steve. I'm flattered." 

Steve sighed. "I'm serious, pal... If anything were to happen..." 

Bucky cut Steve off with a sudden, yet still soft, kiss. The two soldiers were still lying on that thick blanket in front of the fireplace in Steve's apartment. Steve's eyes widened at first, but he then relaxed and returned the kiss wholeheartedly. Cap's mind began to wander... Yes, he could definitely get used to this. 

Pulling back finally, Bucky lightly licked his lips and gave Steve a smile before rising from the floor. 

"Where are you going?" Steve asked gently, still lying on his side. 

With that characteristic mischievous smirk, Bucky explained, "Even super soldiers gotta take a leak sometimes." 

Steve laughed at the explanation and slowly picked himself off the floor. Cap was a super soldier, of course, but as he was still fresh from the hospital, his body still hurt from that epic battle on the helicarrier. As Bucky was in the bathroom, Steve nosed around the kitchen, looking for a snack. He briefly wanted to begin to tidy up the apartment, but forced himself to just relax. Tomorrow was a new day, he reasoned. There would be time tomorrow to clean up. 

Thinking about the next day prompted Steve to begin to wonder - really wonder - what in the world was he going to do about The Winter Soldier? Director Fury always knew what to do, but there was *so* much going on in S.H.I.E.L.D. right now. Everything was a disaster and nobody could really trust anyone else, now that it was blatantly obvious how many agents were really working for HYDRA. It was as if Nick really didn't have time to deal with The Winter Soldier. In that respect, Captain America reasoned, it may have been up to Steve Rogers to take care of Bucky Barnes. 

Steve was more than alright with that notion, however. Bucky had taken care of Steve for so many years when he was sick, especially after Steve's Mom died. Now it was Steve's turn to take care of Bucky Barnes. 

And, Steve's hypothesis was that HYDRA wanted The Winter Soldier back (badly), and they were most likely conducting a manhunt for him. It was extremely dangerous for Sergeant Winter to regain all of those old memories. 

Acutely aware that he did, in fact, walk like an assassin, Bucky did his best to announce his presence so as to not startle Steve quite as badly. "Hey..." he said softly, just outside the kitchen. 

Steve turned around and saw Bucky holding his Captain America shield. Bucky had a great big grin on his handsome face. "Nice," Steve said with an approving nod. "It fits you, pal." 

Bucky threw his head back and laughed, still holding the shield. "I don't know about that... Sure, I love America and all, but ... dang... I don't think I could quite pull off the patriotic facade." 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Steve half-joked, "You *could* take over as Captain America, when I retire." 

His smile gone, Bucky suddenly grabbed Steve's t-shirt with his free hand and began to yank him towards the sliding glass doors at the apartment's balcony. 

"Whoa... what's the matter...." Steve began, kind of allowing Bucky to pull him, but he stopped talking upon hearing a loud beeping sound coming from the bedroom. "What is that...?" 

There was a harsh, white flash of light, then an extremely deafening blast as a bomb detonated. In that second, Bucky managed to fully grab Steve and he protected him with both his body and Cap's shield. The bomb's explosion was so severe that it blasted the two super soldiers through the thick glass of the sliding glass door and knocked them both over the balcony's railing. 

Bucky and Steve fell two stories down to the cement below. Still holding Steve, Bucky purposefully turned so that he would land on his back. Steve landed on Bucky, in turn, and Cap's shield saved Steve from any real injury. 

Waking up, Steve had no idea if 10 seconds or 10 minutes had passed. As his hearing returned, Steve noted the police and fire truck sirens and the sound of the blazing apartment fire. As his vision returned, Steve took in the sight of the enormous and powerful flames ripping through the building. 

Both Steve and Bucky were lying on the concrete outside of the apartment building. More than dazed, Steve sat up slowly and felt as if his heart had fallen down into his stomach. There was Bucky - he was lying on his back and his eyes were closed. It didn't look as though he was breathing... Could Bucky be... could he be... 

"Buck?" Cap whispered, losing consciousness again. "Bucky..." 

Captain America could feel warm blood oozing down the side of his face as he passed out cold. The shock of the explosion was far too much for him to bear at that moment.


	4. Winter's Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winter Soldier betrayed Captain America. Things are definitely not looking good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all subscribe to the story. I'm having so much fun. 
> 
> \--Bucky

Winter's Betrayal

Chapter 4 of "Falling In Love With Winter"

by TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

It took a good long while for Captain America to gain his bearings. As he fought hard to gain consciousness, he gradually realized he was hanging from a metal rafter by his wrists. Steve's bare feet were a few inches off of the concrete and a heavy chain connected from his wrists to the rafter above. Cap weakly tried his restraint, but found that he couldn't break it. 

"Welcome back, Cap," a familiar voice called. 

Looking down, Captain America met eyes with HYDRA Agent Brock Rumlow. Steve blinked a few times, noting how scarred Rumlow was. Brock had just barely survived the explosions in that beautiful office building in Washington, D.C. It was an absolute miracle that Brock was not only alive, but was already back at work. So, so devoted to HYDRA. 

Of course Steve had a host of questions to ask, but his first priority was, "Where's Bu-.... Where is The Winter Soldier? Is he alright?" 

Rumlow smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "Sergeant Winter? It's funny that you ask..." 

As if on cue, one of the two armed HYDRA agents off to the side opened a warehouse door. The Winter Soldier walked in soundlessly. He was wearing all black again, from his leather jacket to his cargo pants, down to his heavy combat boots. The soldier was wearing his black tactical mask and was blatantly armed to the teeth. 

Squinting in the bright artificial light, Cap breathed, "Bucky?" 

The Winter Soldier didn't even look at Captain America. He obediently stood next to Rumlow, waiting for his next order. 

Brock flashed a rather evil smile at Steve Rogers. Knowing that Steve was paying attention, Agent Rumlow turned towards The Winter Soldier. "Go ahead, Sarge... What did Captain America tell you?" 

His voice was slightly muffled from the mask, but was still quite audible. The Winter Soldier began speaking in Russian at first, but then flipped back to English. Brock had given him a harsh look to indicate that he didn't speak Russian. 

"One of the new S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters is on the eighth floor of the 700 Eleventh Street building. If you tell the secretary that you are a tourist looking for a brochure on the Washington monument, she'll take you to see Director Nick Fury. Fury is still alive," Sergeant Winter stated clearly and slowly. 

Brock nodded as he listened, then uncharacteristically complimented The Winter Soldier. "Good work, Sergeant Winter. What's the status on Captain America?" 

The Winter Soldier continued to refuse to meet eyes with anyone - especially with Agent Rumlow - but he did briefly glance at Captain America before answering, "The police found a body at the scene. They determined that it was Steve Rogers. The body was burned beyond recognition, but the dental records matched." 

Agent Rumlow didn't bother to suppress a grin before asking, "Did they give you your next mission, soldier?" 

Sergeant Winter briefly nodded before falling deathly silent again, his eyes fixated on the concrete ground. 

"Go pick up your sniper rifle at the weapons vault and head out..." Brock commanded the soldier, who immediately complied. Turning his attention back to Captain America, Brock stated, "The only reason why you're still alive is because Director Pierce thinks you can be useful to HYDRA." 

Captain America had listened to every word. He had a host of emotions flooding his mind, the greatest of which was sadness. Of course he was relieved that Bucky was alive and had survived the explosion, but it was overwhelmingly horrible that his best friend had been turned into The Winter Soldier once more. Then again... Even though Steve was dazed, he had rapidly made several realizations. 

"Useful?" Steve mumbled bitterly, pretty much knowing what Rumlow was about to say. 

"The more things change, the more they stay the same," Brock stated. "We wanted an army of super soldiers back in World War II. Director Pierce thinks they would be just as useful today. You might want to get yourself ready for a little scientific experimentation, Cap..." 

Feeling defeated, Steve's head fell forward as he closed his eyes. There really wasn't anything he could do. Steve didn't bother to watch Brock and the two armed agents leave the cold warehouse. In a way, Captain America resigned himself to his fate. It was possible that Nick Fury might have been looking for him... Maybe. But, Bucky... 

Captain America gasped upon opening his eyes again. There was The Winter Soldier, suddenly, standing in front of him as he continued to hang by his wrists, chained to the rafter above. Captain America and The Winter Soldier were alone in the warehouse. 

"Was that all just an act?!" Steve suddenly spat the words out. "Were you The Winter Soldier the entire time? Did you just... just pretend to be Bucky Barnes to get some information out of me?!" 

In return, The Winter Soldier said absolutely nothing. He continued to wear his black tactical mask, which hid any emotions he might have displayed though, really, it didn't seem as though he was feeling anything, on the surface. 

Furious that Bucky wasn't saying anything, Steve continued his tirade, "I took care of you and you... you blew up my apartment?! Really, Buck?? I... I thought we were friends and..." Steve's voice trailed off as he furiously blinked away his tears. 

Captain America noticed that The Winter Soldier looked away momentarily, but then stared back up at him. Unable to contain his emotions, Steve continued to speak, his voice raised in frustration, "I've never felt that way about anyone before, Bucky. It... it just happened so fast... I fell for you so hard and we kissed and..." Steve sighed heavily and finally lowered his voice. "I love you, Buck. I really do. Please tell me it wasn't all an act. It couldn't have been... I saw the look in your eyes." 

The only 'response' from The Winter Soldier was when Sergeant Winter briefly checked his weapons. It was an obsessive-compulsive habit for the soldier to check for his weapons once or twice an hour. 

Bucky Barnes' betrayal hit Steve Rogers hard. He uttered a frustrated sigh as his hands began to fall asleep. He briefly looked up at his chained wrists, then back down to The Winter Soldier. Steve repeated himself, "That couldn't have been an act, Buck... I know you're there. I know you're not really The Winter Soldier... My best friend, my... boyfriend... you're still there." 

The Winter Soldier walked off, then, and silently shut the door behind him. Jesus, it would have somehow been infinitely better - to Steve - if Bucky had slammed the door on his way out. Then that would have somehow validated everything Steve had said, it would have displayed *some* kind of emotion. The Winter Soldier - Bucky - had not made any indication at all that he understood what Steve was saying. Steve wondered why The Winter Soldier had even bothered to approach him, all alone, if he wasn't going to say anything in return. It was maddeningly frustrating. 

Knowing that Captain America couldn't see him, The Winter Soldier leaned back against the metal door, in fact lost in thought. His eyes shifted from side to side, giving the appearance as though he was reading, but, really, Bucky wasn't looking at anything in particular. He was thinking. As hard as he possibly could. 

Finally forming a conclusion, The Winter Soldier took off running as hard as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for upcoming adventures! Same Bucky Time, Same Bucky Channel. ;)


	5. Who Are You? Really.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Winter Soldier has a lot of explaining to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with the story, all the way to Chapter 5! I'm so excited to share the latest chapter of this adventure with you. Thank you so much for your support. 
> 
> With love, 
> 
> \--Bucky

Falling In Love With Winter

Chapter 5: Who Are You? Really. 

By TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

Strangely, HYDRA gave Captain America two full days to recover from the blast of the bomb’s explosion. The explosion that completely decimated Steve’s apartment. Mostly recovered, Captain America still felt overwhelmingly defeated. He was strapped to an examination table in a medical lab in some secret underground HYDRA bunker. Steve was wearing a hospital gown. Of course he had tried to work against his metal restraints, but was unsuccessful. 

Two HYDRA scientists entered the examination room, then, and began to methodically work to prepare everything for experimentation on Captain America. There was so much to do and Director Alexander Pierce wanted results fast. One scientist began to tinker with a machine to monitor Captain America’s brainwaves while the other scientist labeled glass tubes in preparation for several blood draws. Securing Captain America’s blood was a top priority. 

In turn, Steve Rogers found that he was oddly frustrated that the two male scientists wouldn’t even acknowledge him, didn’t even say a word to him. What they would say, exactly, eluded the super soldier but he had become accustomed to being recognized. Captain America, in many ways, was a celebrity of sorts which was, of course, a wild contrast to who pre-serum Steve Rogers was, back in the day. 

For just a moment, Steve briefly remembered how much recognition James Buchanan Barnes used to receive; he was always so popular in school. Steve had met James back in the third grade. James had stood up for Steve when a few bullies had harassed him on the playground. Both Steve and James had just moved to Brooklyn, New York, though in their separate ways, and had become fast friends after James defended Steve on the playground. Steve had given James his nickname of ‘Bucky.’ 

Steve’s eyebrows furrowed and the beeping on his heart monitor began to speed up as Captain America thought about how The Winter Soldier… Bucky… had betrayed him, how he had pretended (?) to love him to get information for HYDRA and then blew up his apartment. 

Steve clenched his teeth in frustration as one scientist approached him with a syringe. Just at the precise moment before the needle would enter Steve’s vein, the scientist suddenly fell over. Moments later, Steve could hear a second body drop to the metal floor, but Cap couldn’t see what was going on. 

A familiar face suddenly came into view, though his long hair sort of eclipsed his handsome face. 

Cap blinked in the harsh light of the medical lamp above and found that he was whispering for some reason. “Bucky?!” 

The Winter Soldier nodded briefly before he worked fast to release Steve’s restraints. Steve couldn’t help but recall the day he had found Sergeant James Barnes on that cold metal table in a HYDRA bunker back in World War II. It was just like that… 

Sergeant Winter helped Captain America to stand from the procedure table. After giving Steve a few moments to gain his balance, Winter briefly turned away, then – still saying nothing – he handed Steve his uniform and boots. 

“Where did you get this?!” Steve asked, his eyes wide. Winter had handed him his updated Captain America uniform – the dark blue one with the silver star on the chest.

Winter wasn’t wearing his mask at first. Eyebrows knitted in frustration, he pursed his lips and gave Steve a look that silently read, ‘Put on the stupid uniform already.’

Steve didn’t have to be asked twice. Winter turned away while Steve dressed as fast as he possibly could, though Army men always had a knack for dressing rapidly. They had to; it was a matter of survival back in the war. As Cap donned his uniform, Winter pulled on his black tactical mask. 

The moment Steve had successfully tied his second boot, Winter started to make a mad dash towards the examination room door, but Steve suddenly grabbed Winter’s normal wrist. 

Winter stopped dead in his tracks and looked up into Steve’s eyes. Steve was admittedly uneasy, seeing that wild look in Bucky’s dark blue eyes. 

“Can I trust you, Buck?” Steve asked, dead serious, tightening his grip on the soldier’s wrist. When Winter started to pull away, Steve harshly pulled him back. Captain America was, in fact, stronger than The Winter Soldier. “Hey!” Steve cried out, his voice very much sounding like that of an Army officer. “I asked you a question, soldier. Answer me.” 

Winter only nodded, but that didn’t satisfy Captain Rogers. “Say it,” Steve growled through clenched teeth. He repeated his question for emphasis. “Can I trust you, soldier?” 

Though his voice was a little muffled from the mask, Winter could still be heard. “Yes, sir,” he said simply and obediently, meeting Steve’s eyes. 

Captain America would just have to trust The Winter Soldier for that moment. He had no other choice. Nodding curtly, Cap said, “Alright, Sergeant. Get us out of here.” 

Winter lead Cap out of the examination room and down the hall. The Winter Soldier’s footsteps made no sound on the metal grate floor. Captain America did everything he could to be just as silent, but his boots did make soft sounds anyway. As Winter and Cap passed a monitoring station, Steve couldn’t help but notice that two HYDRA agents were unconscious at the controls. 

“Wait…” Steve whispered. Catching Winter’s attention, Steve asked solemnly, “They’re not dead, right…?” 

His mouth and nose were covered by his black tactical mask, but, really, it was obvious that Winter was grinning mischievously, so characteristic of what Bucky Barnes would do in that situation. He shook his head ‘no’ before flipping a fire alarm just outside of the guard’s station. 

Captain America’s eyes widened; he didn’t really see that coming. HYDRA agents began to run around the large underground bunker; to an outside observer, it looked like chaos, but HYDRA did actually have a plan for everything. Every agent knew exactly what to do in response to a fire alarm. As agents rapidly assessed the situation – trying to figure out if there was actually a fire (there wasn’t) – The Winter Soldier deftly directed Captain America and successfully sneaked him out of the bunker and into the cold springtime night air. Finally outside, Winter looked over his shoulder for a moment and, assured that Steve was following him, he began to sprint at full speed. 

Captain Rogers trailed along, also running hard, but it was kind of difficult to keep up with The Winter Soldier. Sure, Cap was physically stronger than Winter, but Winter could definitely win a race against Cap. Steve couldn’t help but recall the time he had told Director Fury just how fast The Winter Soldier could run. 

Both super soldiers were breathing hard when they finally reached a large covered object hidden behind a billboard which boasted an advertisement for “The Big Chair,” which was an odd roadside attraction outside of Washington, D.C. Winter didn’t hesitate to yank a large automobile cover off of their getaway vehicle – it was a 2012 Harley Davidson FLTRX Road Glide Ultra.

His mouth dropping open, Steve ran one hand along a handlebar. “What?!” he asked automatically. “How did you…?” 

Winter cut him off with a frustrated, but quiet, “You gotta get out of here, Steve. Now.” 

Nodding in agreement, Captain America mounted the Harley and started the engine. 

“Get on,” Cap ordered, looking over his shoulder at Sergeant Winter. 

The Winter Soldier had a major decision to make, right then and there. He hesitated. 

“Come on!” Steve shouted over the roar of the motorcycle engine. 

Winter blinked a few times, but obediently complied. He sat behind Steve on the bike and gripped the motorcycle’s backrest with both hands, holding on for dear life as Steve revved the engine. 

Steve was always inherently good with direction. Based upon the billboard advertisement, he had rapidly figured out that they were about 70 miles outside of Washington, D.C. and that, if they hurried, they could probably catch up to Director Fury before he made his planned trip to Europe. Steve wondered if Fury was looking for him after the apartment explosion; Cap reasoned that he probably was, but it didn’t hurt to rush anyway. 

As Steve drove the motorcycle – and as Winter held on – a frustrating host of questions flooded Steve’s mind. Could he really trust The Winter Soldier? Was there some kind of ulterior motive? Was this another elaborate plan straight from HYDRA? Cap sighed deeply as he sped along the empty highway. The sun had just begun to rise that morning. 

About a half hour into the drive, Steve’s worried thoughts were interrupted by the feel of Winter’s arms around his abdomen. The Winter Soldier leaned forward and rested his cheek against Steve’s left shoulder blade. Steve sighed from the depths of his diaphragm. God, was Bucky’s body so warm… 

Blinking, Steve Rogers did everything he could to *not* think fondly of Bucky Barnes at that moment and, instead, furiously placed all of his attention on operating the motorcycle. He would let Bucky hold onto him for the moment, Steve internally told himself. 

Over the next ten minutes, Steve could tell that Bucky’s body was becoming progressively heavier and heavier against his back and Bucky’s grip on Steve’s abdomen became dangerously loose. Noting a wayward diner up ahead, Steve carefully brought the motorcycle to a stop and purposefully parked the Harley behind the restaurant, out of view from the highway. 

“Hey…” Steve said over his shoulder. Noticing that Bucky had begun to lose consciousness, Cap took extreme care in rising from the bike, fully supporting The Winter Soldier. Steve removed Winter’s mask and held the back of his head. Profoundly worried, Steve tapped Winter’s face sharply a few times, saying, “Come on, Buck… Wake up.” 

Bucky moaned weakly and ran his normal hand over his hair. “Where are we?” he mumbled, fighting hard to stay conscious. 

“Take a deep breath, Buck,” Steve said, firmly running his thumb over Bucky’s cheekbone. “We’re at…” Steve paused, reading the overhead sign. “We’re at the Metro 29 Diner… Apparently…” Briefly, Cap was pleased to note that there was barely anyone there at the diner. He wasn’t quite sure what day it was, but it was just barely sunup. 

“What?” Bucky muttered, his voice faraway. “We gotta keep going… We can’t stop. They.. HYDRA… they’ll find us… I… They’re gonna…” Bucky’s eyes rolled back briefly, but Steve shook him harshly. 

“Come on, Sarge.” Cap pulled Bucky to his feet and draped his friend’s metal arm over his shoulders before leading him into the diner. The diner was warm and inviting and smelled of cherry cobbler. 

A friendly waitress immediately helped Steve drag Bucky to a booth and helped to seat the soldier. “Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed. “Looks like *someone* had too much to drink last night, huh?” She smiled genuinely; her voice was lovingly upbeat. 

Absolutely relieved, Steve nodded and laughed. He read the waitresses’ nametag. “You’re absolutely correct, ma’am… Uh, Cheryl.” Steve hated lying, but the waitress had unknowingly created a great cover. 

Cheryl was in her late forties and couldn’t help but blush, noting just how handsome Steve was. Then, a realization hit her suddenly. “Oh! You’re Captain America!”

Steve nervously looked around, but only found the waitress, a cook, and two truckers drinking coffee a few booths away. “Um…” he stammered, clueless as to what to say next.

“Oh, don’t you worry, dear,” Cheryl assured Cap. Lowering her voice, she said with a wink, “I’ll bet you’re working on something really top secret right now, huh?” When Captain America gave a relieved smile, Cheryl offered, “Let me get you two some coffee…” The waitress glanced at Bucky, who looked rather pathetic at the moment. “I think *he* might need the coffee a bit more than you, Captain. Oh, and we’ve got the best pancakes this side of the Potomac. I’ll be right back.” 

Steve grinned widely as he took a seat across from Bucky, but his smile faded slightly as he kicked Bucky under the table. Startled, Bucky finally woke up fully and automatically patted the weapons concealed under his black leather jacket. Satisfied with the weapons check, Bucky rose from his seat suddenly, before Steve could respond, and walked over to a gumball machine. 

The Winter Soldier used his metal hand to bust open the back of the gumball machine. He promptly grabbed two handfuls of quarters and spilled them onto the table before resuming his seat. 

As Cheryl approached with two cups of coffee, Steve furiously blushed and rapidly apologized, “I’m so, so sorry for my… friend’s… actions… I’ll pay for the damages…” 

Cheryl shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve seen worse, Cap. Whatever you need.” Taking notice of The Winter Soldier – though in a million years the waitress would have never, ever known who the KGB/HYDRA assassin was, Cheryl asked, “Who’s this?” 

Bucky immediately thought of at least 5 ways to drug or knock out the waitress. Cap took one good look at The Winter Soldier’s face and swiftly kicked him again, under the table, in retribution. 

“Hey!” Bucky cried out, but Steve ignored him. 

“Can’t wait to try those pancakes, ma’am,” Steve said sweetly to the waitress, who – thankfully and finally – left the super soldiers alone. 

Immediately after the waitress left, Bucky stuffed quarter after quarter into an old-school table jukebox and mashed on random buttons, uncharacteristically not caring what music played. Of course, it was very, very odd for Bucky to choose random music. He absolutely adored music of all kinds and took great delight in his selections. But, currently, The Winter Soldier wanted to ensure privacy. Music from the jukebox would mask his conversation with Captain America, both from the truckers and from any bugs… 

“Just in case…” Bucky explained to Steve with a small shrug. ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ by Journey began to play on the old tabletop jukebox. 

Understanding what Bucky was doing (but simultaneously thinking that The Winter Soldier was incredibly paranoid), Steve shot Bucky an incredulous look as he took a sip of the coffee. “Alright, Buck…” 

The tone in Steve’s voice made Bucky visibly cower. He absolutely knew he was justifiably in trouble. Very much a tactile individual, The Winter Soldier fussed with a few sugar packets. He *had* to keep his hands occupied. 

“You’ve got some explaining to do,” Cap said seriously, trying to figure out what to ask first. He sighed heavily, then decided to start with, “Who are you? Really.”  
Not entirely sure how to answer, Bucky glanced around at *everything* and avoided the question. The Winter Soldier was taking note of every detail of the diner. That’s what trained KGB assassins did. 

“Buck…” Steve interrupted Bucky’s surroundings assessment. “Look at me.” 

Bucky stared at the silver star on Captain America’s chest for a moment and then, finally, met Cap’s eyes. He did, in fact, answer the question after all. “I’m Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes of the 107th Division, Howling Commandos. Though… From time to time, it seems, my brain literally flips me back into being The Winter Soldier… I…” Bucky sighed after he confessed and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Steve… I can’t help it… HYDRA…” 

Steve interrupted Bucky, then, by reaching over the table and grasping both of Bucky’s hands for a short while. “Okay,” Steve said gently. “I get it… I do. Thank you for being honest.” Steve released Bucky’s hands, but still justifiably had more questions. Something had really, really bothered Steve. “Was there really a dead body back at my apartment?” 

Bucky stared into Steve’s eyes. “A body?” 

Steve explained himself, “You told Agent Brock Rumlow that the police had found a burned body back at the apartment and that the police couldn’t identify it at first, but matched the dental records to Steve Rogers.” 

“Oh…” Bucky remembered. “No, there wasn’t actually a body there. I hacked the police database and planted that information.” 

Crossing his arms over his chest, Steve honestly couldn’t suppress a sudden laugh. “Really, pal? You can’t operate my incredibly overpriced Starbucks coffee machine, but you hacked the police database?” 

Bucky gave another shrug. “I’m just saying…” He couldn’t help but laugh, too, as he realized how ultimately weird that notion was. “HYDRA trained me to be an assassin, not a housewife.” 

Really much more at ease, Steve couldn’t stop himself, “How do you type… with that metal hand and everything?” 

Bucky threw his head back and laughed good-naturedly. “It takes practice… I might have, uh, destroyed a few keyboards in my day…” 

At that moment, Steve and Bucky instantly became best friends again. Cheryl brought the soldiers their breakfasts – two stacks of pancakes, eggs, and sausage – and refilled their coffees. 

After thanking Cheryl and after the waitress left, Steve became more serious again and asked, “Why’d you blow up my apartment? Or… did you?” 

Bucky pursed his lips briefly before taking a huge bite of his breakfast. Some things were rather hard to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the upcoming Chapter 6, which will be published very soon!


	6. Do You Love Me, Buck?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky spills the beans, speaking more than he had in the past 70 years combined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoy this chapter! I've very, very much enjoyed writing this adventure! 
> 
> \--Bucky

Falling In Love With Winter

Chapter 6: "Do You Love Me, Buck?" 

By TilTheEndOfTheLinePal

As Bucky added a hefty amount of syrup to his pancakes, his brain furiously worked on the notion of who was responsible for blowing up Steve Rogers’ apartment, in response to Cap’s question. “So…” Bucky began. “You don’t know this, but, after you fell off the helicarrier, I jumped down and I, uh, I pulled you out of the Potomac. And, then, I ran… I…” Bucky’s eyes became distant as he remembered what had happened. 

“Thanks, pal,” Steve interrupted gently and genuinely. He, too, had dove heartily into his breakfast. Both super soldiers had been famished. 

“Mm,” Bucky started, indeed feeling deeply guilty. “I’m the one who threw you off in the first place… But, yeah, I took off and I hid from HYDRA for a few days. But, unfortunately, I was hurt, too, and I… I passed out and they found me. And, instead of taking care of me – they didn’t even fix my shoulder, as you know – they threatened me.” 

Steve swallowed his current bite and took another sip of coffee, definitely caught up in Bucky’s honest recollection. “Threatened you? How?” 

Bucky’s breakfast was almost gone; in the Army, you *had* to eat fast. “It’s odd,” the soldier stated, thinking hard. “I don’t have anything to lose, really. Like you, I don’t have any family left. So, it’s like, HYDRA could threaten me with my life – threaten to kill me – but, I’m *their* weapon. I’m the world’s best assassin. I might be the best assassin of all time. So, it wouldn’t be to HYDRA’s best interest to murder me. It doesn’t make sense.” 

Captain America nodded in agreement and waited for Bucky to continue. 

“I’ve assassinated so many high-ranking officials and spies and dignitaries and…” Bucky looked over his shoulder before mumbling nervously, “A president…” 

Steve raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, speaking quietly, “JFK?”

The look in Bucky’s eyes indicated a definite ‘yes’ before he continued his explanation, “The KGB and HYDRA spent 70 years training me, but you know I wasn’t awake the whole time. You know I was cryogenically frozen for most of that time. So, yeah, it *really* doesn’t make sense for HYDRA to kill me. They’ve spent so much time and money and resources on me. I’m ‘The Asset’, you know?” 

“Wow…” Steve mouthed silently, crossing his arms over his chest. He really was in awe. 

Bucky sighed before saying, “Yeah. I know. In the time I spent hiding from HYDRA, I did check on you in the hospital three times. When they found me, when they captured me, they figured out that I remembered you. It was kind of obvious, you know? You ... Captain America… should *not* have survived the helicarrier crash. And, you were my mission. It was so blatantly obvious to HYDRA that I, The Winter Soldier, had spared your life. So, HYDRA took advantage of that.” 

Steve shook his head slightly in confusion. “But, that doesn’t make sense, Buck. Did HYDRA threaten to kill me and then *tell* you to blow up my apartment and kill me anyway…?” Cap had a confused look on his face as he tried to reason everything out. 

Bucky took in a deep breath and wished he had a cigarette, then. “HYDRA did a really good job keeping me from remembering my past. When I woke up after falling from the train, I couldn’t remember who I was…” Bucky paused as Steve nodded, realizing that Steve knew about that fact. “In order to keep my memories at bay, HYDRA would literally electrocute my brain. It was… horrible… It was so painful… It feels like you’re being ripped apart. It’s the worst feeling ever… I don’t even have the words to describe it.” 

“Oh, my god…” Steve sighed. He could only imagine and, even then, he didn’t really want to think about it. 

“Yeah,” Bucky said sadly. “I knew that Director Pierce was going to wipe my brain again, so I…I…” Bucky sighed heavily and avoided Steve’s eyes, feeling insanely guilty, “I made a deal with Director Pierce. I begged them to not wipe my memories, to not fry my brain ever again in exchange for killing you. They didn’t care *how* I assassinated you. They just wanted you dead. You’re a threat, Cap. A huge threat.” 

“I get it, Buck. I do. But, you didn’t kill me…” Captain America took a moment to fully remember how Bucky had pulled him towards the sliding glass doors and protected him from the explosion with his body and with the shield. Cap was surprised he could remember that moment, but he did fully recall how Bucky had set up the bomb, but then saved him at the very last second, right before the bomb went off. 

Bucky uttered a sad laugh. “Yeah, I know. I changed my mind at the very last second. You know… I don’t exactly know what happened after the explosion. I mean, I must have been knocked unconscious because I don’t remember, but I can only guess that HYDRA was waiting for us outside of the apartment. And, then picked us up and took us to that bunker. When they questioned me, I told them that I didn’t know *how* you survived. But, I bought us some time by hacking the police database, by setting it up so that it at least *looked* like you were dead. So that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Director Fury would think you were dead.” 

“And then Director Pierce ordered some experimentation on me. Agent Rumlow said that they want to make an army of super soldiers,” Steve added. “And, speaking of Rumlow, he asked you if ‘they’ had given you your next mission.” 

Bucky nodded and briefly noted that ‘Heart of Glass’ by Blondie was playing on the tabletop jukebox. His quarters hadn’t given out yet. “Yeah, Alexander Pierce wasn’t too pleased that I didn’t successfully assassinate Nick Fury. So, he sent me back out to finish the job. It’s extremely rare for me to fail a mission or even to make a mistake. Pierce wanted me to get the job done, but, obviously, I made another choice.” 

“You saved me,” Steve said gently, pushing aside his empty plate. 

“Yeah,” Bucky said. “And, I’d do it again. But, before I saved you…” The soldier paused and swallowed hard, a host of emotions running through his mind. “When you were in the warehouse and you told me you love me and…” 

Both super soldiers looked away from each other then, both simultaneously blushing slightly. 

Bucky uttered a fake cough and continued, “After you told me that, I realized I had to do something. I couldn’t *just* get you out of the HYDRA bunker. I had to do something. To HYDRA. To try to end things once and for all. So, I went to see Director Fury and I got there before HYDRA could. So, yes, Steve, I did tell Agent Rumlow about 700 Eleventh Street, about the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, but I managed to get to Fury before Rumlow could and I warned him.” 

Steve blinked several times. “You went to Fury? Did he trust you?” 

“Well…” Bucky raised an eyebrow. “I did have that secret password of yours. ‘Bucky Bear 1935’…” 

Steve and Bucky both laughed up a storm for a while there. 

Breathless from laughing, Steve lamented, “You know, we graduated from high school in 1935…” 

“I remember,” Bucky admitted. It was a strange sensation to laugh hard, then consequently yawn. It was obvious that the soldier was getting awfully tired again. “So, anyway, Fury kind of-sort of-in a way trusted me. He was cautiously optimistic, but he listened at least and he prepared everyone for Rumlow, and I think they’re starting to move locations already. Director Fury helped me get that motorcycle and everything and he told me that *I* - The Winter Soldier – was the only person who could get you out of the HYDRA compound. S.H.I.E.L.D. isn’t ready to take on HYDRA yet. They don’t have enough resources, so it was up to me to come back to the bunker and save you from those horrible scientists.” 

“Hmm…” Steve said in return, concerned at just how exhausted Bucky appeared. 

“Which reminds me,” Bucky said, reaching into a pocket in his jacket with his normal hand. “Director Fury told me to give you this…” The soldier slid a small piece of paper across the table.  
Eyebrows knitted in confusion, Steve read the note. It only had a ten-digit number on it. “I don’t recognize this number.” 

“Yeah,” Bucky acknowledged the confusion. “Fury asked me to give you that. It’s a secure line, a new phone number. He wants you to call him when it’s safe. I should have given it to you earlier, but even KGB assassins get flustered.” 

Steve nodded and tucked the piece of paper away for the moment. Everything made sense so far, but he still had a few lingering questions. “Why’d you hesitate to get on the motorcycle with me? Were you going to go somewhere else?” 

That was definitely a hard question for Sergeant Barnes just then. It was getting increasingly hard to think as his body began to shut down again. “I, uh… I wasn’t sure what to do. HYDRA will figure that it was me who saved you. It couldn’t have been anyone else. Maybe they’ve already figured out that I snuck you out of there. But, I thought that, maybe… Just maybe… if I agreed to continue to be The Winter Soldier for them, they *might* leave you alone. It was a really, really big ‘maybe’, but it was a risk I was kind of willing to take. But, in the end, I made the decision to escape with you. I don’t know if it was the *right* decision, but… here we are…” Bucky sighed heavily and ran both of his hands into his long hair, his elbows on the table. 

“Buck…” Steve said tenderly, gently gripping the soldier’s metal forearm, though it was mostly concealed by the sleeve of his jacket. Steve waited until Bucky met eyes with him again. It was such a hard question to ask, and Steve purposefully spoke softly. “All of those feelings we had for each other, back at the apartment… When we held each other and danced and… kissed… Do you love me? I mean, really… do you love me, Bucky? It wasn’t an act to get information out of me, right?” 

In that early morning, in that one stretch of time, Bucky had spoken more than he had in the past 70 years combined if one negated his foreign language training. Falling silent again, Bucky pushed aside his plate and rested his forehead on the smooth diner table. His mind and his body were really rapidly shutting down. 

Steve tried not to feel sorry for Bucky, but he couldn’t help it. Captain Rogers rose from his seat and joined Bucky on his side of the restaurant booth, sitting so close to him that the two super soldiers were hip to hip and thigh to thigh. Steve fully embraced Bucky and very carefully shifted Bucky’s body. Bucky’s head fell back onto Steve’s shoulder and his long hair fell into his face. 

Steve tenderly brushed Bucky’s hair back and patiently waited for Bucky’s answer. 

“It wasn’t an act,” Bucky finally whispered distantly, completely honest. “I do love you, Steve. Very, very much. It’s like I said after your Mom died, ‘I’m with you, ‘til the end of the line, pal.’”

Steve looked away for a moment, blinking away his tears. He wouldn’t let Bucky see him cry. Captain America didn’t cry, right? Forcing himself to smile, Cap said, “That’s right, pal. ‘Til the end of the line.”

“Oh, god…” Bucky tensed up for a moment. “We gotta get out of here, Steve… HYDRA… they always find me somehow…” Bucky tried to sit up, but wasn’t successful. 

“Relax, Buck,” Steve mumbled lowly. “Just relax. It’s okay.” 

“No, Steve, you don’t understand… They…” 

Running one hand fully into Bucky’s long hair, Steve leaned forward and kissed Bucky’s cheek first, then his lips. Steve gave Bucky a lengthy, profoundly loving kiss. Bucky did return the kiss as best as he could; he uttered a weak moan in the back of his throat. 

Feeling Bucky’s body going limp, Steve kissed Bucky very, very lightly a couple of more times before mumbling against his lips, “Why are you so tired, Buck? What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

His eyes halfway closed, Bucky still managed to look straight into Steve’s eyes. “Every time I’m out of cryo sleep, I can’t sleep. I… just can’t. Those cryo chemicals and the freezing and the electricity… They’ve ruined my brain, Steve. I don’t ever sleep because I’m always so scared and so anxious and… furious for some reason… But, when I’m around you, I just feel so peaceful and so loved and so happy… I guess my brain just finally started releasing those ‘feel-good’ chemicals again and I just… I don’t know how else to describe it… I…”

Steve Rogers completely understood what Bucky Barnes was trying to convey. It made perfect sense. Steve interrupted Bucky with another gorgeous kiss before mumbling, “I understand, Buck…” 

In the middle of another sweet kiss, Bucky fainted dead away. Steve carefully rested Bucky’s body back against the soft seat of the booth and paused to take Bucky’s napkin out of his lap and place it on the table. Steve lovingly played with his boyfriend’s hair for a short while before reaching into his pocket again to retrieve that slip of paper with the phone number on it. 

“Cheryl,” Steve called politely over his shoulder. When the waitress arrived, Steve gave her a smile and, reading the concerned look on Cheryl’s face, he reassured her with, “He’s just taking a nap. Really, this guy *did* drink too much last night. May I have the check, please?” 

“Oh, no, Cap… It’s on the house. You’re our hero!” Cheryl exclaimed. “And, my niece would freak out if I gave her your autograph.” 

Captain America laughed heartily and did, in fact, write a quick note to Cheryl’s niece on a slip of blank receipt paper. After Cheryl had walked away to tend to the truck drivers, Steve picked up a couple of leftover quarters from the table and made a brief phone call, using the pay phone in the corner of the restaurant. Really, pay phones were becoming so rare. 

Cap did, however, keep an eye on Bucky Barnes, who continued to snore softly, hopelessly passed out in the restaurant booth. 

Steve knew that was a rather important phone call. Hanging up the phone, he waited for what was about to happen next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the next chapter, which will be published soon! Same Bucky Time, Same Bucky Channel!


	7. Coffee Would Be Great (FINAL CHAPTER)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for an epic conclusion to our adventure!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for sticking with the story to the very end! For your consideration: The final chapter of "Falling In Love With Winter" by TilTheEndOfTheLinePal.
> 
> With love,
> 
> \--Bucky

Falling In Love With Winter

Chapter 7 (FINAL CHAPTER): "Coffee Would Be Great" 

By TilTheEndOfTheLinePal 

Cheryl, the waitress at the Metro 29 Diner, was as sweet as the diner’s famous coconut cake, but she did, at times, have a habit of being a little too nosy. Grinning from ear to ear, as she picked up the plates from table 4, she said to Captain America, “It’s obvious just how much you love him.” 

His eyes wide, Captain America looked up at the waitress as he sat next to The Winter Soldier, who was still hopelessly passed out. “Uh…” he stammered, wondering just how much the waitress knew, how much she had seen. 

With a wink, Cheryl assured the captain, “Oh, don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t tell anyone you’ve got a boyfriend. I just think it’s so sweet, you know? The two of you… You look good together. Even if I don’t know who he is.” 

“Uh huh… Ah… Yep.” Steve Rogers must have turned 7 shades of red as he blushed. He was grateful, after all, that Cheryl didn’t recognize Bucky Barnes, though he did come to the stark realization that more people probably *would* begin to recognize Bucky due to his part of the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian museum. 

“Would you like some more coffee?” Cheryl offered with a kind smile. 

“No, thank you, ma’am,” Steve said, returning the smile. 

After the waitress left, Steve returned his attention to Bucky. His smile continued as he held his boyfriend (and, really, it was rather delightful to think of Bucky as his ‘boyfriend’). Steve ran his thumb over Bucky’s left eyebrow, over the deep scar cutting through it, and briefly remembered how a 16-year-old Bucky Barnes got that scar. Blinking, Steve realized that he really did have so, so many memories of Bucky. He hoped that Bucky would, one day, be able to remember just as many. 

Uttering a soft laugh, Steve knew Bucky couldn’t hear him, but he still said anyway, “Oh, my god, pal, do you remember how you got that scar over your eye? It looks terrible… I remember how you tripped and fell and knocked yourself out so badly that you actually stopped breathing. Luckily there was a nurse in the restaurant next door and…” Steve laughed again. “She gave you mouth-to-mouth and, boy, was she a nice-looking dame… You got more action while unconscious than I ever did in my whole life.” 

As he yawned widely a couple of times, Steve felt as if he was holding an electric blanket. He wondered how in the world could The Winter Soldier not be so sick from having such a high body temperature. As minutes marched on and as Steve patiently waited for help from S.H.I.E.L.D. to arrive (thus the phone call from the pay phone in the corner of the diner), Steve, too, became exhausted and, before he knew it, Cap had fallen into a light sleep next to Bucky. As he continued to hold his boyfriend, Steve’s head fell back against the back of his seat. 

“Would you look at that?” 

Steve suddenly snapped awake and, seeing Tony Stark standing next to him, he tore out of his seat. Poor Bucky fell over, but remained deeply asleep. He didn’t stir in the slightest.

Tony was holding Captain America’s shield. Grinning wickedly, Tony looked from The Winter Soldier, to Captain America, and back to Winter. “We’ve got Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming… Only, really, we’ve kind of got two Princes here. In a way," Tony lamented out loud, overtly sarcastic.

Beyond embarrassed, Cap squinted in the bright morning sun, uttered a fake cough, and rapidly tried to change the subject, “Mister Stark,” he said matter-of-factly. “Did the director send you?” 

Ignoring the question, Tony pressed, “You? Him?” He glanced at Winter, then back at Cap. “Is this what I think it is?” 

A sour look on his handsome face, Steve silently took his shield from Tony. He wasn’t even going to grace that question with an answer. 

Tony threw his head back and had a good laugh at Steve’s expense. “Whatever floats your boat, man. And, yes, Fury did send me. And, I’m on the clock, so if you don’t mind…” Tony reached into his jeans pocket and produced a syringe full of a clear liquid. He bit the plastic cover that protected the needle, pulled it off with his teeth, and promptly spat the piece of plastic onto the carpeted floor of the diner. 

Still holding his shield, Cap immediately stooped down to pick up the tossed piece of plastic (Captain America wasn’t fond of people littering). “Whoa, whoa… Hold on a second there, Stark. What is that?” 

With a nonchalant shrug, Tony said casually, “Only the heaviest sedative known to man. This could take down a horse… No, wait… Like, five horses probably…” 

Tony began to reach for Bucky, fully intending on shooting him up with the sedative, but Captain America immediately stopped Tony with a strong hand upon Stark’s chest. “Wait,” Cap said, overwhelmingly worried. “Why would you do that to him? He’s already asleep…” 

Giving Cap an irritable look, Tony shot back with, “Okay, lover boy, you need to step aside and let me do my job.” 

Captain America was rapidly losing his patience. “Not until you tell me why you’re going to shoot my best friend up with a tranquilizer.” 

Tony glanced down at Cap’s hand, which was still pressing hard against his chest. “Really, Tinkerbell? Really? My Iron Man suit is outside and, according to Nick, I’ve got to ‘immediately’ fly The Winter Soldier back to a secret location… and by ‘secret location’ I mean the R+D department at the Avengers Tower…”

“Wait…” Cap interrupted. “You’re taking Bucky to…” 

“Yes, princess,” Tony emphasized. “And, no, you can’t join us. We need to find a way to repair Winter’s brain and you’ll only be a distraction. You’ll only be in the way. And, to top things off, do you really think I’d fly the Soldier and risk having him wake up? In case you haven’t noticed, HYDRA’s ‘Asset’ tends to fly off the handle. I swear, he’s like a Hulk with a prosthetic metal arm and long flowing locks…” 

Tony’s explanation made perfect sense to Cap, but Stark was cut off by the loud sound of a heap of clean plates being accidentally dropped in the kitchen. 

The Winter Soldier’s eyes flew open and he suddenly sat up in the booth, his normal hand automatically already behind his back as he reached for one of his concealed .45 handguns. 

Captain America and Iron Man stared at The Winter Soldier for a long moment, then met eyes with each other briefly. 

“Oh, dear…” Tony muttered under his breath. 

“Bucky,” Cap said calmly, holding one hand out as his other hand gripped his shield much more tightly. “You’re okay… It was just some plates…” 

The entire restaurant came to a standstill. Unfortunately, the diner had become much more populated with patrons who had stopped in for breakfast that morning. At first, nobody uttered a sound as The Winter Soldier stood up and jumped onto the table, but when the soldier wordlessly whipped out his handgun and pointed it at Cap and Iron Man, people began to scream in terror. 

“Everyone, get down!” Steve cried out, pulling Tony Stark by the arm and protecting himself and Tony with his shield just in time for the first couple of shots to be fired. Still crying out fearfully, the patrons took cover under the diner’s tables. 

Creating the chaos, The Winter Soldier did fire two shots just then, but Cap’s shield deflected the bullets. Winter paused for a second, taking a good look around, assessing his surroundings. He had no idea what was going on and began to plan his escape. 

Meeting Tony’s eyes behind the shield, Cap ordered, “I’ll distract him! Put on the suit!” 

“Yeah…” Tony agreed with a small nod. 

In the blink of an eye, Captain America hurled his shield right at The Winter Soldier. In that moment, Tony Stark simultaneously pressed a button attached to the inside of his jacket. As Winter caught the shield in his metal hand, Tony’s Iron Man suit busted through the diner’s largest window. Even more scared screams emanated from the patrons as the glass shattered, spilling everywhere. 

“Really, Cap?” Tony called over the whirs and whines of his Iron Man suit calibrating to fit his body. “When will you learn *not* to throw your shield at some guy with a metal hand?” 

Captain America ducked and rolled as Winter fired more shots at him. The Winter Soldier was holding Cap’s shield. Fully in his Iron Man suit, Tony fired his hand repulsor at Winter, but the soldier deflected the powerful strike with Cap’s shield in return. 

As Cap tried to figure out a way to get his shield back, Tony kept firing his hand repulsor over and over again at The Winter Soldier, forcing him away from the window. Winter leaped from one table to another – causing even more commotion from the scared patrons – and kept firing his handgun. 

Two things happened, just then – Winter ran out of bullets in one handgun and Tony finally successfully knocked the shield out of the soldier’s metal hand. 

As Iron Man and Captain America began to approach The Winter Soldier to try to subdue him and prevent any further damage, Winter reached under his jacket and produced his second gun before grabbing the first person within his reach. 

Cheryl sobbed hysterically as The Winter Soldier held her tightly with his metal arm. Winter pointed a gun at her head. Cheryl was unfortunately now the soldier’s hostage. For the KGB/HYDRA-trained assassin, however, taking a hostage wasn’t an act of desperation. He had begun to calculate this tactic moments after he woke up. 

Cap took a moment to pick up his shield and, staying completely calm, he tried to reason with Sergeant Winter. “Bucky…” he began.

“You know, Cap,” Tony interrupted. “I’m pretty sure that’s not Bucky Barnes you’re talking to right now…” 

For once, Cap managed to agree with Tony. “You’re right, Tony,” he said before staring back at Winter. “Stand down, soldier. That’s an order.” 

In return, The Winter Soldier tightened his grip on the helpless waitress, who gave a painful sob. The insane, wild look in Winter’s eyes really was rather frightening. 

“You know,” Tony interrupted again. “If you had just let me shoot him up with the tranquilizer everything would have been fine. Winter would have woken up at the tower feeling like a million bucks…” 

“Do you *really* have to do this right *now*, Tony?!” Cap shouted, beyond flustered and frustrated, very uncharacteristically losing his cool. Captain America always remained calm in battle, but Tony was suddenly and severely under his skin. 

Startling everyone, Sergeant Winter began to shout at the top of his lungs, but he spoke in Russian. Nobody could literally understand him, but it was fairly obvious that he was harshly demanding everyone to shut up and back away. 

Tony Stark wasn’t fazed by Winter’s foreign language outburst. Instead, fully in his suit, he locked his sights on Winter and his hostage, lining up his shot. “I kind of have a line of fire, Cap…” Tony *might* have been able to shoot Winter without hitting the hostage. 

“Wait!” Cap cried out. “Wait… what do you mean, ‘kind of’? And, god, Tony, you can’t kill him! He may be The Winter Soldier, but he’s still my best friend! He’s still Bucky Barnes!!” 

The Winter Soldier began to curse up a storm in Russian, realizing that Iron Man had raised his hand and was about to shoot him. 

The tension was extremely thick and overwhelming. It seemed like a hopeless situation. Iron Man had the capability to kill The Winter Soldier, right then and there, and consequently save the hostage and save the lives of the diner’s panicked patrons. 

“Bucky…” Cap whispered, unable to blink. The last time he had been this upset was when he realized that Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes had died in combat after tragically falling from the train. “Bucky, please come back…” Cap said a little more loudly. “I know you’re in there, pal…” 

Before anyone could bat an eye, The Winter Soldier was suddenly electrocuted with an insanely amped-up taser. This particular taser was so severe that it would never make it to market or even special forces. Really, it was far too dangerous to be in anybody’s possession. 

The Winter Soldier cried out as his body convulsed. He involuntarily let Cheryl go – the frightened waitress dove off to the side, unharmed. Winter also dropped his gun as he fell to his hands and knees. 

Just for good measure, Director Nick Fury fired up the taser again and struck The Winter Soldier again, electrocuting the poor soldier once more. 

Bucky cried out in pain and blacked out, falling flat onto his face onto the diner floor. Even though he was now unconscious, his body continued to convulse from the powerful electrical surges. 

Holding the ‘smoking gun’ (the incredibly high-voltage taser), Director Fury fired a singular gaze at Captain America and Iron Man and, shaming them, he said, “Do I really have to put out all of your fires for you?! When are you two going to learn how to get along?” 

Iron Man flipped up his metal mask and defended himself, though he had a little smirk on his face, “We had it under control, Nick.” 

Nick Fury rolled his one eye in disgust before ordering Tony, “Get The Winter Soldier out of here. And, Cap…” 

Still in shock, Captain America stared at Director Fury. 

“You stay put,” Director Fury ordered. 

Iron Man did, in fact, inject the tranquilizer into Winter – much to the chagrin of Captain America – and took off flying to New York City from Washington, D.C., unceremoniously holding onto Bucky’s body. Director Fury began to speak with the diner’s owner and started to make arrangements as to how to finance the broken window and the holes in the walls from both the bullets and from Iron Man’s powerful repulsors. 

As Captain America helped Cheryl to her feet, he said sheepishly, “And, here I was worried about the gumball machine…” 

Cheryl did manage to laugh a little. She couldn’t help it, really. “I think that’s a little more adventure than I was bargaining for today,” the waitress said, still trembling. 

Captain America gave the waitress a comforting hug, then. 

****Three Months Later****

Steve Rogers had just sat down at his usual table at a café across the street from the Avengers tower in the heart of New York City. Cap patiently waited for his normal waitress to arrive so that he could order his daily cup of coffee. 

Steve briefly thought about how expensive coffee was now. It was getting slightly more difficult to remember, but Steve thought he could recall that coffee used to be about a nickel. Now, even a plain cup of black coffee cost over a dollar. 

As Steve continued to wait, he opened his newspaper and began to skim the headlines. Most modern people read the news on their laptops or tablets, but Cap preferred the old-school paper news. 

Sighing and lost in thought, Steve realized that he missed Bucky Barnes more than he ever had his entire life, which was kind of strange in a way. Steve had never really mourned the death of Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes. It was just something he never could fully face. And, now, Bucky was locked up in the R+D department in the Avengers tower. 

Steve Rogers was currently temporarily living in the Avengers tower due to his apartment having been blown to smithereens. And, he realized that Bucky Barnes was literally in the same building, but Steve still missed his … boyfriend… so, so much. It was absolutely frustrating knowing that Bucky was in the same building but that he wasn’t allowed to visit him. Director Fury had forbidden Steve from trying to visit with Bucky. 

Captain America didn’t even know what the Stark Industries’ elite team of scientists and psychiatrists were doing to The Winter Soldier. Hopefully… Hopefully Bucky was alright. Hopefully, The Winter Soldier was successfully transitioning back to Bucky Barnes once and for all. 

It had been a maddening and frustrating three months. Steve had done everything he could to keep himself occupied, but it had been impossible not to worry about how Bucky was doing during his rehabilitation process and, really, nobody quite knew how long it was going to take for Bucky to recuperate. Steve wasn’t allowed to even check in on Bucky; Director Fury thought that Steve would be a distraction. 

Actually feeling kind of depressed, Steve didn’t even look up as a full, steaming coffee cup and saucer were placed on his table, next to his newspaper. When the waiter walked away, though, Steve blinked dumbly. Did he just see a metal hand?!

Rapidly turning in his seat, Steve did a double take and looked over his shoulder. A man dressed in dark blue jeans and a red long-sleeved button up shirt was walking away. The man’s long hair was tied up in a loose ponytail. 

“Bucky?” Steve asked tentatively. He was hopeful, but really doubted the man was actually Bucky Barnes. 

The man turned around and gave Steve a characteristic mischievous smirk, a little sparkle in his dark blue eyes. 

“No way!!” Steve Rogers cried out, a huge smile spanning his handsome face. He tore out of his seat and took two large steps before firmly grabbing Bucky, his arms wrapping around Bucky’s midsection. 

Bucky emitted a little ‘oof’ in return. Captain America didn’t know his own strength. 

“Easy, pal,” Bucky muttered. “I gotta breathe, you know…”

Blushing, Steve apologized. “Sorry, Buck… Sorry… I just…” Steve stared slightly down into Bucky’s eyes. A jumble of nervous questions began to escape him. “Are you alright? How do you feel? Did they treat you okay? Do you… Do you want a cup of coffee?” 

Bucky briefly threw his head back and laughed. He was aware that everyone in the café was staring at him and Steve, but he didn’t really care. The truth was that everyone in the café knew Captain America and had heard from Steve, over and over again, all about Bucky Barnes, all about that World War II soldier who had come back to life, just like Captain America had. Really, the entire café had been waiting for Steve Rogers to reunite with Bucky Barnes. All of the café’s patrons had stopped what they were doing and were smiling warmly. A few patrons even had their cell phones out to take a picture of Steve and Bucky. 

Bucky kissed Steve’s cheek and warmly embraced him in return. Steve squeezed his eyes shut, a deep sense of relief flooding his body, starting at his chest. 

“Coffee would be great,” Bucky mumbled against Steve’s ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ****Fin.****
> 
> Thank you so much for reading the entire story, which has now come to an end! Comments and kudos are very, very much appreciated and all comments will be promptly responded to! Sure hope you enjoyed the adventure!
> 
> Please allow me to invite you to Part 2: HYDRA's Revenge!


End file.
